Unlikely. They have data centers in several locations all over the world, and there are countless backup copies downloaded onto personal devices everywhere.

Chicken soup.

Chicken stock, chicken, carrots, onion, celery. Add noodles if you like.

I disagree with your corollary. We don’t know the rules of the universe that our simulated universe resides in. We could be the first layer or an infinitely lower layer, and there would be no way of knowing.

Add more color. Paint your walls if you’re allowed to.

Add stuff. Plants, furniture, art on the walls, and rugs. Bare rooms feel bigger.

A little bit of survivorship bias there, but you are correct that engineers throughout history have been just as smart as engineers today.

I don’t think this is about politics

If it were socially acceptable, I wouldn’t have any reason not to use it.

As for how I feel about it being taboo now, it’s whatever. It’s just a natural consequence of how language shifts and evolves over time.

Going to the UK in the fall, first time going to Europe, I’m pretty excited.

If you get the chance, I highly recommend it.

Here in Chicago we enjoy a thin crust with Italian beef and hot giardiniera.

Soup!

Get a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store, that’s a few meals right there. Throw the bones into a pot with a few aromatics, simmer for a couple hours, now you have homemade chicken stock which is a good base for just about any soup.

Summer. The best activities: dining on patios and drinking in beer gardens, camping and hiking, going for long walks, and lots more. Long days. Heat doesn’t bother me, and if it ever does I have A/C.

That’s still selling your labor though.

What’s the alternative then?

Start homesteading. When you provide everything for yourself, you won’t have to sell your labor to anyone.

Check your local laws and ordinances, your landlords may be required to provide itemized expenses to you within a certain time frame. Where I am, it’s within 30 days.